After Saigon Police Bust Major Pet Theft Ring, the City Rallies to Help Care for 400 Cats
After an extended investigation, the Hồ Chí Minh City Police Department has busted a major cat theft and distribution ring that operated across multiple southern provinces.
A Visit to Lê Minh Xuân, a Rare Craft Village Making Incense Sticks Amid Saigon
From inside the workshop, artisans carry bundle after bundle of freshly made incense sticks into the courtyard amid the morning mist. A gentle scent of spices linger in the air.
As Thanh Đa Faces Redevelopment, Writer Dạ Ngân Reflects on What Will Be Lost
To me, my trip to Cư xá Thanh Đa in summer 1982 was a serendipitous encounter. It was Saigon’s largest-scale residential complex in the first half of the 1970s, with nearly 4,000 separate units housing about 50,000 inhabitants. Cư xá refers to a residential quarter reserved for gainfully employed citizens, with a vision to establish a model community with a high quality of life. Here, in their three-bedroom apartments, civil servants, professors, doctors, and military leaders ranked major or higher lived in pride of being a part of a cư xá like that.
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon
How Saigon's Free Water Coolers Quench Thirst and Spread Kindness
In recent years, stories about climate change's impacts on the lives of Vietnamese people have been increasingly making the news.
Inside the Covid Memorial Park at 1 Lý Thái Tổ, Saigon's Brand-New Green Space
As part of Saigon’s latest initiative to increase green space coverage in the city, a number of abandoned land plots were converted into public parks, including a Covid Memorial Park that’s become a beloved destination for Saigoneers seeking a space to jog, reflect, or just simply touch grass.
Uyên Đỗ in Saigon
All Aboard Bus 146, Home of Plushies, Rubber Chickens and a Side of Humanity
“Cute” doesn’t seem like a fitting descriptor for any mode of public transport, but a bus in Saigon is driving straight into the heart of Saigoneers for being the quintessence of “smotheringly adorable.”
Saigon Set to Make Bus Service Free for All to Cut Congestion, Air Pollution
Saigoneers without private vehicles might be happy to hear that the city is planning to make the municipal bus system free to ride in the near future.
Bạc Liêu-94, Cà Mau-69: In Saigon, a Surprising Reminder of Home Lives on License Plates
Once in a while, I bump into a little sliver of my hometown on a random license plate on the street.
Brian Letwin in Asia
Chinese Tourists Get a Bad Rep Abroad
It’s been a bad week for the reputation of Chinese tourists. It started with a Chinese vice-premier lamenting the behavior of his countrymen abroad and culminated with news that a Nanjing teenager had...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Vietnam is Ready for Mobile Banking
Here's what's making news this morning: - VietJet Air plans to open a Thai subsidiary (Bangkok Post) - Intel hesitant to expand in Vietnam due to power risks (Tuoi Tre) - The unemployment rate is g...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Why Vietnamese are Boycotting Coca-Cola
When Coca Cola announced a $300 million expansion plan for Vietnam last October, the company faced greater scrutiny of its local operations. Investigators found that by reporting losses since 2010, an...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Another Rare Plant Faces Extinction in Vietnam
Here's the latest and greatest Vietnam news: - Rich Vietnamese are into eating endangered species. (VietnamNetBridge) - According to a recent survey, energy security is a growing public concern...
Brian Letwin in Roundups
Morning Links: Criticism and Confusion over Recently Announced TV Laws
Here are your morning links: - Current business environment uninviting for foreign graduates (Vietnamnetbridge) - Criticism and confusion over recently announced TV laws (ThanhNien) - Vietnam ...
Brian Letwin in Asia
Chinese DIY Projects: A Fine Line Between Ingenuity and Hilarity
Whether it's building the world's tallest building or shadily acquiring a Russian aircraft carrier, the Chinese government, while facing many shortcomings, dreams big. But what about its people? Surel...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Vietnamese Painting Fetches Record Price at Christie’s
Nguyen Phan Chanh’s painting, entitled “La Marchand de Riz,” set a new record for Vietnamese art at Christie’s International in Hong Kong this past Saturday. Originally valued at $75 due to a case of...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Starbucks CEO Says Company Will Open Hundreds of Stores in Vietnam
On the heels of a successful launch in Vietnam, Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, announced that the American coffee chain will open hundreds of stores in the country. Before opening its 2-story flagshi...
Brian Letwin in Asia
China to Build the World's Tallest Building - In Only 7 Months
The Chinese economy may be slowing down, but that’s not stopping Hunan developers from breaking ground on the tallest building in the world – Sky City. The project will not only be taller than the Bur...
Brian Letwin in Asia
Incredible and Edible Japanese Latte Art
You know when you go to the café, and the barista draws a fancy leaf or heart in the foam of your cappuccino and you’re all like, “wow, that’s artistic!”? Well, after viewing the slideshow below, that...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
[UPDATE] Broken Wire Leaves Southern Vietnam Powerless
Tuoi Tre is reporting that a section of the 500 KV wire that connects the power grid between north and south, “fell apart,” cutting power to 22 provinces in southern Vietnam. While power has returned ...
Brian Letwin in Asia
“Little PSY” Stirs Cultural Tensions Between Vietnam and Korea
As “Gangnam Style” continues to pulsate from speakers all over the world, controversy surrounding Hwang Min-woo, or “little PSY,” has engulfed the Vietnamese and Korean online communities. Woo, seen p...
Brian Letwin in Asia
Lotteria Announces the Ramen Burger
Lotteria, the Korean version of McDonalds (in Vietnam at least), has joined the likes to Taco Bell and KFC in offering a dish that certainly qualifies as ‘thinking outside of the box.’ Here’s a break...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Vietnamese Actress Gets Airline Crew into Hot Water
As the rest of the country goes about its daily routine, Vietnamese celebrities continue to make headlines. This time, it’s actress, Ly Nha Ky, whose celebrity status served as a golden ticket to the ...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Arsenal Confirms Vietnam Pre-Season Game
Arsenal Football Club has announced that it will become the first ever Premier League team to play a match in Vietnam, with the first-team squad visiting Hanoi in July as part of the Club’s pre-season...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Rumors of Highlands Plant That Provides 100% Effective Birth Control
Put away the condoms and birth control pills. According to Tuoi Tre, there is an ethnic minority group (Van Kieu) in the central highlands that uses a special leaf, anăng, in place of typical contrace...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Budweiser to Set up Production Facilities in Vietnam
The past decade has seen a plethora of international brands enter Vietnam’s fertile consumer market. As Vietnam’s average income has risen, brands from Pizza Hut to Starbucks have taken advantage of t...
Brian Letwin in Saigon
Saigon Opens ‘Smile School’ for Traffic Police
Saigon’s traffic police just underwent rigorous training sessions to help them gain knowledge on "cultural behavior and moral behavior of traffic police officers" while on duty. The program, chai...
Brian Letwin in Asia
Korean Schoolgirls Blame Manga Comics After Destroying Classroom
Koreans sure love their video games and manga comics. They have penetrated the psyche of the country’s children to the point where kids are shipped off to video game addiction camps. Every now and the...
Brian Letwin in Vietnam
Hanoi Man Arrested with 53 King Cobras in His Car
While snakes are awesome, the idea of being with one in closed quarters is less than appealing. Well, one Hanoi man felt differently and was arrested transporting 53 of them in his car. Did we mention...
